Coupling-centering device.



PATENTED MAY 12} 1903.

H. H. PQRSYTH.

- COUPLING GENTERING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26. 1903.

no MODBL'.

UNITED STATES Patented May 12, 1903.

HENRY H. FORSYTH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COUPLING-CENTERING DE VICE.

srncrmcnmroiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 727,929, dated May 12, 1903.

Application filed February 26, 1903. Serial No. 145,206. (No modelfi' T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY H. FORSYTH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coupler-Centering Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to coupler-centering devices for railwaycars, having reference more particularly to that class of devices now coming into extensive use in railway practice for automatically centering the coupler-heads of draw-bars through the provision of elastic means operating laterally upon the draw-bars to return them to a position substantially coincident with the longitudinal center line of the car.

Draw-bar guides have heretofore been devised and employed in practice wherein the draw-bar guiding or centering element is composed of a single part provided with projections or lugs adapted to engage the opposite sides of the draw-bar and normally tend to return it to central position to whichever side the bar is swung. It has been found in prac tice that where these guides are positioned close enough to the sides of the draw-bar in the normal central position of the latter to render efiective service in centering the same when the latter is swing to one side through a considerable angle the guiding-lugs tend to bind upon the sides of the draw-bar, owing to the fact that the distance between them transversely of the draw-bar is lessened the farther the latter swings to one side, and hence said guiding-lugs are frequently broken oif and rendered ineffective for their intended purpose.

My invention has for its primary object to provide a centering device of this general type, but of such a construction as to eliminate the objectionable feature above pointed out, and this object I carry out primarily through the provision of a two-part guiding means, the parts of which serve, respectively, to center the draw-bar in association with a common operating medium for said two-part guide, which in the preferred form of my invention permits a movement of either of the parts of the draw-bar guide independently of the other, but which within the purview of my invention may operate to simultaneously actuate said parts of the guide in opposite 7 directions.

tion which I have selected to illustrate the same, 5 designates the transversely-extending carry-iron in the usual form, which is ordinarily suspended from the under side of the end of the car-body. Rigidly secured on said carry-iron is a stationary plate 6, the front margin of which is preferably flush with the forward edge of the carry-iron, while its rear portion is extended for some distance rearwardly of the inner or rear margin of the carry-iron and is somewhat widened and has its edge turned up to form a vertical flange 7. The ends of the flange 7 are inwardly turned or curved, as shown at 7 and constitute fulcrums for the elements of a twopart draw-bar guide or saddle, which ele- 'ments are designated by 8 and 9, respectively. These elements are of identical but inverse construction, being provided at their forward ends with upstanding lugs 8 and 9, respectively, and at their rear ends with rounded projections or knuckles 8 and 9", respectively, designed to fulcrum with a rocking movement against the seats formed at 7 in the flange 7 of the stationary plate 6. In the inner or rear ends of the guide-plates 8 and 9 are a pair of pins 10 and 11, respectively, depending from the under sides of said plates and engaging slots 12 and 12, respectively, formed in the outer ends of a connecting-bar 12, underlying the rear ends of said plates, which bar is centrally pivoted, as by a pin 13, to the inner end of a' rod or bolt 14, which extends rearwardly through an aperture in the flange-7 and is surrounded by a coiled compression-spring 15. One end of this spring abuts against the outer face of the flange 7, while its opposite end abuts a collar 16, passed over the outer end of the rod 14 and retained thereon bya nut 17. It will be observed that the inner end of the rod 14:, which lies inside the marginal flange 7 of the stationary plate, is provided with a shoulder 1i, which abuts the inner face of the flange, thus limiting the outward movement of the rod 14 and consequently the inward travel of the members 8 and 9 of the draw-bar guide toward each other. 18 des ign ates the draw-bar broken away at its ends, said bar being shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and in transverse sect-ion in Fig. 2.

The operation is as follows: W'hen the draw-bar is swung radially, as in passing around a curve, in the direction of the guidinglug 8, so as to engage and force outwardly the latter, the plate 8 is rocked on its fulcrum and its pin 10 is drawn toward the front margin of the plate 6, whereby the bar 12 is oscillated on the pin 11 as a fulcrum, thereby placing the spring 15 under partial compression. During this operation the guide 9 remains substantially stationary, whereby the distance between the draW-bar-engaging lugs 8 and 9 is constantly increased the farther out the plate 8 swings, thereby providing between said guide-lugs ample clearance to accommodate the maximum angular movement of the draw-bar. Obviously the same relative operation of the parts takes place when the draw-bar swings in the opposite direction and engages the guide-lug 9.

Fig. 3 illustrates a modified form of connection between the spring-bolt 14: and the guide-plates S and 9. In this form of the invention the rear ends of said guide-plates are connected to the inner end of the spring-bolt through the interposition of links 20 and 21, respectively, which links have pivotal connections with said parts by means of pins 22 and 23 in the plates 8 and 9, respectively, and a pin 24 uniting the meeting ends of said links to the end of the spring-bolt.

Byreason of thelast-described construction when the draw-bar engages one of the guidelugs 8 or 9 and swings the same outwardly a similar movement is simultaneously imparted to the companion guide-lug, thereby increasing the distance between said guide-lugs as the draw-bar swings outwardly through the simultaneous travel of said lugs in opposite directions away from each other. Such an operation obviously provides a maximum clearance to accommodate the angular swing of the draw-bar, and it is also evident that the centering effect of the spring 15 acts simultaneously and equally upon both guides, so that when the draw-bar is returned to normal position both guide-lugs are likewise in normal position ready to operate in the manner described upon the next outward movement of the draw-bar.

I am aware that a two-part draw-bar guide in the form of presser heads or plates engaging the sides of the draw-bar and backed by independent springs is old in the prior art. A single-partguide-plate having projecting lugs engaging the respective sides of the draw-bar, adapted to move laterally in both directions and operated by a single elastic medium, is also old; but so far as I am aware I am the first to provide a multipart draw-bar guide or centering device the individual parts of which are actuated by a common operating medium, and this whether said parts he so arranged as to move independently of each other or to move simultaneously. I do not, therefore, limit myself to the interpretation of my invention to the particular embodiment thereof herein illustrated and described nor to the particular forms nor relative arrrangement of the elements as set forth, so long as the distinguishing novel principle and characteristic of my invention is preserved,'which may be stated generally to reside in the combination, with a support, of a multipart draw-bar guide and an operating medium common to the several parts of said guide.

I claim-- 1. In acoupler-centering device, the combination with a stationary support, of a multipart draw-bar guide carried thereby, and a common actuating means for the individual parts of said guide, substantially as described.

2. In a coupler-centering device, the combination with a stationary support, of a twopart draw-bar-centering guide carried thereby, and a common actuating means for both parts of said guide, substantially as described.

3. In a coupler-centering device, the combination with a stationary support, of a fulcrumed multipart draw-bar-centering guide carried thereby, and a common operating medium for the individual parts of said guide, substantially as described.

4:. In a coupler-centering device, the combination with a stationary support, of a fulcrumed two-part draw-bar-centering guide carried thereby, and a common operating medium for both parts of said guide, substantially as described.

5. Ina coupler-centering device, the combination with a stationary support, of a multipart draW-bar-centering guide carried thereby, the parts of which are independently movable, and a common operating medium for the individual parts of said guide, substantially as described.

6. Ina coupler-centering device, the combination with a stationary support, of a twopart draw-bar-centering guide carried thereby, both parts of which are independently movable, and a common operating medium for said parts of the guide, substantially as described.

7. In a coupler-centering device, the combination with a stationary support, of a fullcrumed two-part draw-bar-centering guide carried thereby, the parts of which are independently movable, and a common operating medium for said parts of the guide, substantially as described.

8. In a coupler-centering device, the combination with a stationary support, of a two- LOO part draw-bar-centering guide, the parts of which have vertically-extending lugs engaging the sides of the draw-bar respectively, of a single operating medium connected to and actuating both parts of the guide, substantially as described.

9. In acoupler-centeringdevice, thecombination with a stationary support, of a twopart draW-bar-centering guide carried thereby, the parts of which are fulcru med and provided with vertical lugs engaging the sides of the draw-bar, respectively, andra common actuating-spring connected to and operating both parts of said guide, substantially as described.

10. In acoupler-centeringdevice,the combination With a stationary support, of a twopart draW-bar-centering gnide the parts of which are independently fulcrumed and provided with vertical lugs engaging the sides of the draw-bar, respectively, an actuatingspring, and connections between said spring and the parts of the guide permitting a lateral movement of either part independently of the other, substantially as described.

11; The combination with a hanger-iron, of

a stationary plate secured thereto, a pair of inversely-disposed draW-bar-guiding members fulcrumed thereon, a single actuatingfor both parts of said guide, and means limbiting the inward movement of said parts of the guide toward each other, substantially as '40 described.

HENRY H. FORSYTH.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, FREDERICK C. GOODWIN. 

